Clay Aiken is at it again. The Season 2 American Idol runner-up hasn’t been shy with his Idol-bashing in the past — during Fox’s farewell season in 2016, he called the premiere “boring”….

…This week, Aiken took to social media to once again blast the show — but this time, two recent Idol contestants, Catie Turner and Ada Vox, blasted right back.

Aiken’s anger was sparked by Sunday’s Prince-themed episode, on which Turner shockingly forgot the words to almost an entire verse of the Prince-penned Bangles hit “Manic Monday.” America judged her harshly and sent her home — but actual TV judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, instead of critiquing Turner, gave her a cheerful pep talk. Bryan encouragingly told Turner, “You have been in this competition since day one, and you have not had one glitch. So, what just happened to you is OK, darling!” Richie praised Turner’s “fantastic” recovery. Perry even said, “You did great!”…

…Aiken may be harsh with his Idol commentary at times — but in his defense, specifically regarding Turner’s flub, he did have a valid point.

“Remember back 2002–2003 when American Idol was a high-stakes singing competition and we were all waiting and nervously anticipating what Simon Cowell had to say?” he posted. “Why’s it now totally without critique and essentially just a Vacation Bible School talent show?”

Turner’s kid-gloved treatment this week was indeed a far cry from Aiken’s Idol days, when lyrical errors were original judge Cowell’s No. 1 pet peeve and could send many a contestant packing before Hollywood Week was even over. The rebooted show’s kinder, gentler approach — while it makes for feel-good TV — will not prepare Turner or other hopefuls for the cutthroat, unforgiving music industry…

Parker reminded the readers that Clay has been gracious to Idol alumni. She mentioned that earlier in the year, Clay congratulated Scotty McCreery when he tied Clay’s chart record. It was nice to see that twitter message.

After reading the article, I checked out the comments from readers. It was great to read. Almost all of the readers thought Clay said the right thing.

David Robinson said:

Can’t the guy have his own opinions about the show. He’s totally right. It will never be like it was when he was on and during the show’s heyday. I haven’t watched regularly since Simon left. Everyone should respect others opinions.

Mimi said:

Clay Aiken was so right . It’s the judges he is criticizing more so than the kids . Patting them on the back all the time doesn’t help them prepare for a music career .

Roddy said:

Clay Aiken is probably the only . . and I mean ONLY . . alum from this program whose singing talent is worth anything. I always wished that this kid would have gone into doing Broadway musicals, because he has that type of distinctive voice. If you’ve ever seen him in any serious interviews, you’d know that Aiken would be a person you could get honest feedback from, and that he wouldn’t pull any punches. Many people really don’t want that, because their egos are too weak. This article proves that.

At the time I am writing this blog, the number of comments is 379. Go ahead and read some of the comments. They are interesting.

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When I think of Clay on American Idol, I always remember his fabulous performance of

Bridge Over Troubled Water

What do you think of the New American Idol?

Clay Aiken News Network is an unofficial fansite. We are not affiliated in any way with Clay Aiken or his management. This website was made by fans for fans and makes no impression or impersonation of the official site, which can be found under the domain clayaiken.com.

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DISCLAIMER

Clay Aiken News Network is an unofficial fansite. We are not affiliated in any way with Clay Aiken or his management. This website was made by fans for fans and makes no impression or impersonation of the official site, which can be found under the domain clayaiken.com.

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I have always believed in a life of service. But Tina, Dr. Mac, and the kids I worked with at Brentwood crystallized that desire. They helped me to see how vital it is for me to use my time on earth to make a difference in some way. -Clay Aiken